Thread: Would an electric knife sharpener be good to sharpen a straight razor with?

I have serious doubts about me being able to keep a straight razor sharp. I was looking at electric knife sharpeners and I was wondering if that would do a good job on a straight razor or if would ruin the blade. I'm hoping some of you will know the answer to this. I have a feeling you're going to say it would be bad for the razor, but I don't know for sure if that's what you'll say. One in particular I was looking at is the Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener

Amazon.com: Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener: Home & Garden

Your help is appreciated

Um, I think the simple answer is no. The amount of heat an electric sharpener would generate might be too high for a hollow ground razor. Plus, the grit size of that sharpener is probably not 8000 or greater, leaving your razor with an edge, but not an edge you would want to shave off of.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Please dont do that to your razor. That would probably be the worst thing you could do. If you really need help sharpening there are many guys here that can help you. I would help you just please dont buy that thing and put it anywhere near your razor. A razor needs to be hand hone on fine stones. It is totaly different from a knife. The edge of a razor is far more refined and polished. There are many hone miester that will hone the razor for you for a small fee most around 20 dollars. If you realy dont want to pay there are guys who would probably do it once for free. Check out the wiki and read all you can on honing razors. You will understand after you read that.

It would be bad for the blade. Those sharpeners could grind a razor to its death. Just as with shaving, honing takes time to learn also. I was told to find some blades not worth shaving with and practice with them. Slow and steady that's how I learn. Watch Lynn's stuff on honing and don't get in a rush. Get a Barbers hone and just do touch ups for starters believe me you will get the hang of it. I may never be the caliber of some of the hone meisters here but I can get a blade shave ready.

I'm just discouraged because I got a new straight razor and dulled it the first time stropping without even using it first. I'm saying that because I know Straight Razor Designs sells quality sharpened razors, so I know it's my fault. But I don't understand, It looked like I was stropping it the right way. I wish their was an easier way to sharpen them.

If you promise to:
1) not buy that thing for razors (hell, don't even put your good knives through that!)

2) Not ever mention it again!

3) Not get discouraged, because you are NOT the first guy this has happened to!!!

Then I'll hone one of your razors for free.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a honemeister. I can get my razors sharp and smooth enough to give me a nice shave, but when I get one back from a real pro, I can sure tell the difference. But hey, they aren't giving it away for free.

I would try stropping the crap out of it on linen and leather. You can also try stroppign on newspaper too.

Honing really is not that difficult.

The spine sets the correect honing angle. Just lay the blade flat on the hone, and pass it back and forth.


It does get a bit more involved than that....but it is not rocket science.


Don't ever use that thing on your razor, unless you like to cry.

i was right where you were 2 years ago!!!! i had a brand new gold plated ornate dovo. very nice to look at. very sharp. until i rounded the edge by stropping incorrectly. and boy do i mean rounded. brand new and professionally honed. and bam rounded. so i brought it to someone with a digitaly calibrated lazer cutting something or other and they promised it would be sharper than after it was professionally honed by hand. it indeed was very sharp. unfortunately it was the wrong angle. i literally had to shave at such a wide angle it was rediculous.i later learned (and hope i am right) that the angle of the blade is the angle provided by the lift of the spine on the strop or hone. so if you were to have your straight sharpened at the wrong angle you would definately regret it. i ground mine to the correct angle on a very slow cutting arkansas black surgical. everything could be a contributing facter in your inability to mantain a sharp straight. anything from the tension on the strop. are you applying pressure on the blade? flipping over on the spine? is the strop mounted at a good heigth. so many factors. keep with it and dont chinz out and get an eelectric sharpener. even if there was one that was mint for straights you would still have to strop your blade. plus electric sharpeners is kind of an insult to the art of mantaining and shaving w/ a straight. good luck!!!!

Like smokelaw said, I wouldn't even put good kitchen knives through one of those.

For that price you could get a barber hone, a RupRazor Filly + CrO, or send your razor out to be professionally honed a few times.

Don't get discouraged and certainly don't doubt yourself. If there was a cheap solution that didn't involve skill or have a learning curve, you would have heard about it here by now.

EDIT: I fully agree with Seraphim. I was just as scared to hone a razor as I was the first time I put an edge to my face, but found it to be far less difficult than expected. Just be careful, read the wiki, and ask if you have any questions.